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Spring 2011
It poured here yesterday non-stop, all day. My back yard was totally flooded. The streets were rivers. I swear, if I had those 55 gallon rain barrels I could easily have filled one or two from room run-off alone. It's rained a little this morning but not much. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's. And then, another rain storm for the rest of the week. I don't remember it raining this much here since the year of El Nino.
Very blah here today, clouds, and everything is dirty and gray. Tomorrow is supposed to be some kind of rain snow mix and sounds like a great day to stay home and do a project of some kind.
Quilting, Cheryl. Quilting sounds good...and warm. :)
Terri wrote: "Quilting, Cheryl. Quilting sounds good...and warm. :)"LOL! Quilting sounds great, but I really should do some cleaning and work on getting some stuff ready for a garage sale to benefit MS I'm participating in. I'm excited about the g sale as it's one more opportunity to get excess stuff out of my house.
Wish I could donate a few items to your sale, Cheryl!Warm here, fifties, but gray all day. Rain predicted for tomorrow. Grass is turning green. Naked ladies are up. Crocuses. Winter aconite.
I've loved the unexpected fresh scent of green in the air! So great after a long winter. (And by "green" I mean it could be grass, flowers, buds, new foliage & so on). Forgot to mention that the wild onions are growing everywhere already, especially along the sides of the roads up north. (For those who don't have them where you are or aren't sure what they look like, here's a link to a pic I found; I forgot to take a pic myself this weekend: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pRIOs4JGGYE... ). I can't wait to pick a bunch soon!
Its colder here than I've ever known it in March. It was 69 today in the rainforest and I wore a jacket. We are getting less rain than normal but enough. The rest of the island its semi-drought and people are buying water. We all have cisterns here and there is the option of town water piped in but a lot of people prefer the pure cistern water and never opted for town water so if they run out they have to buy it. I don't know what is happening to the weather, just never been like this that I remember.My breadfruit tree has a lot of swords (male flowers), so I'm hoping for a good crop. There are loads of papayas on the three trees but I can't get them as they are down a steep slope. The pumpkin and daikon seedlings have all been eaten by snails or something else :-(
It's 36 degrees and raining in Wisconsin today, with a chance of snow tomorrow. My daffodils are up about an inch or so -- yay! The grass is actually turning a little bit green (from brown). Petra -- I'm sorry your temps are so cold. I'd take them any day of the week though! Hope it gets warmer for everyone soon.
I don't mind colder temps; I'd take them over Summer heat & humidity any day! :-) Our back yard is greening up nicely; faster than I expected!
An inch of snow last night, slush, wind and mist all day today. Gloomy and gray. Typical March. Love hearing about things getting green, gives me hope we'll see the same in a few weeks.
Despite the cold wind it was a beautiful, sunny day here! My forsythia bush is in full bloom, a lovely sight to see when looking out of the livingroom windows! I'm going to pick up another on this year to place in front of the far left livingroom window; I can't wait! The snowdrops along the back fence are starting to fade. Winter weather coming tomorrow; wet snow and sleet. Coating to an inch or so here on the coast, could get more than 6"s @ our place up north! We'll see what happens!
It's in the low 60's here and cloudy with lots of blue sky peeking through. Another storm is going to hit tomorrow and stay through Saturday. Hopefully not so much rain this time. God, where are those Rain Barrels when you need them? I should have ordered four of them and I'd be all set for Summer. As it stands I couldn't even afford one. :( Next year?
Why not make your own? I'm sure you could for much cheaper than buying one - look at all of the stuff that comes up on google: http://www.google.com/search?q=make+y...
Interesting idea. I checked out the link and you're right, there are gazillions of different ideas and instructions. The trick is...doing it. :)
Oh, boy. I planted about 150 daffodil bulbs under our two maple trees last fall, and not one is coming up yet :-(I've got about 300 bulbs that I've planted in previous years under a giant pine tree, and they're coming up fine.
Hope those little bunnies didn't eat all the new bulbs over the winter :-(
There's only 1 house with daffodil's in full bloom here, none else where have even peaked through the soil so you still have time Beth!Terri, it doesn't look like it would take very long, especially if you or someone in the house is 'handy.'
Awoke to Snow! A few sloppy inches here on the coast which is already melting because of rain and several inches reported on the news up north.
Beth wrote: "Oh, boy. I planted about 150 daffodil bulbs under our two maple trees last fall, and not one is coming up yet :-(I've got about 300 bulbs that I've planted in previous years under a giant pine t..."
That is going to look so beautiful - please take a pic when they are in bloom.
Jo: I agree it doesn't look too hard. It's just a matter of fitting it into my schedule. But eventually, yes, I think that's the way to go.
I think it's the way we'll go too! (Hubbs is quite handy so I'm sure he'd have no trouble with it). Hubbs was just talking about it the other day.According to our neighbors up north, we got 8"s of snow up there while the snow here on the coast is nearly gone thanks to the afternoon rain. But overnight we're supposed to get more snow into the morning. Good thing about it @ this time of year is that it doesn't stick around long. People are grumbling like crazy but in NJ we can have snow through April so I don't know why anyone's surprised! (Where Hubbs lived in PA they had snow through Mother's Day in May!) I like to say Mother Nature and the Seasons don't use our calendar, usually makes folks grumble more :-) lol
I'm looking out my window at 8 fresh inches of heavy wet snow. Even as wet as it is it's still drifting because of the strong winds. There's a kind of joke in Minnesota that it always snows on the week-end of the State Highschool Basketball Tournments. Well, guess what's happening this week-end!! The real problem is now the temps are going to drop into the 20s and stay there until next week, so no melting anytime soon. All this moisture is really bad news for the flood prone areas and there are already many roads closed and sandbagging is going on in a major way. Road conditions are very poor and this morning a semitruck loaded with crates of eggs tipped over on the main artery in the Twin Cities and traffic was held up for hours while the truck had to be unloaded by hand before it could be pulled upright. What a mess.
I shoveled for about an hour, but had to quit as my back wasn't very happy with the weight of the snow. Hopefully my neighbor will clean out the rest of the driveway when he gets home from work.
Today the emergency services had a practice in case of a tsunami - all five of the island's firetrucks were there along with ambulances, the police etc, sirens had been blaring as they went there alerting everyone. When they got down to the beaches it started to rain heavily. So it was called off and everyone went home.
I see there is an accident in front of my house involving about 6 cars. Looks like someone slid and hit a tree on the boulavard across the street and then someone slid into that car and so on. People will just not drive for the conditions. I don't think anyone is hurt by the looks of things, and maybe now they will be more careful.
I just got back from Dubuque Iowa, in the NE corner of the state. It was misting snow half the way home, but nothing was sticking. It did make the roads slightly slick, but NO ONE slowed down. I just putted along in the right lane, getting passed by everyone, even semis. Isn't anyone trying to conserve fuel with gas $3.50 a gallon? Misted rain the rest of the way home, and just getting closer to freezing. Tonight in the 20s. Turned the heat back on.
Gas is $3.80 here. $9.60 in the UK, but its a bigger gallon.
After the driveway got plowed out last evening I drove up to the corner store to get a local newspaper and I was crawling due to the icy roads. The counter lady told me she had several customers tell her they had intended to stop at the Holiday Station farthur down the street and had slid right past so stopped at her store instead!I think gas was 3.69 last time I filled up. I've become much more aware of doing a bunch of errands at one time and not making separate trips here and there. Should have been doing that all along anyway.
Snow this morning! Not sticking, but snow.
Here's a link to yesterday's very interesting NY Times article on heirloom vs hybrid seeds; thought it was worth passing along: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/gar...
Yesterday I did a huge mailing for the mentoring program I volunteer for and also saw the movie "Lincoln Lawyer". It was okay, but nothing special.Today I attended a presentation at the local book store on journaling. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't learning how to use colored pencils!! LOL. It was given by an artist who makes and sells greeting cards, jewelry and very unique bookmarks at the store. I love her work and have bought her stuff for gifts etc. The presentation was a little too woowoo for me, but I enjoyed meeting a bunch of new people and hearing about what they had done with journaling in the past. These days I mostly just keep a garden journal and think I will stick with actual photographs of my flowers etc as opposed to me trying to draw anything. An artist I'm not!
We're dropping down to 26* tonight here on the coast and I'm a little nervous about what's peaking through the soil and mulch but it is what it is. Usually I don't plant anything outside or direct sow seeds here on the coast until around Memorial Day (even later up @ my northern garden) and this year I doubt will be an exception! (I've had a few years when I was able to start in early May).
The temps here continue to be way below normal, but seeing the sun every day has been terrific!! I think this will be a late planting year for us.
SNOW, several inches of snow are outside! Still snowing. BIG flakes! SNOW!
I don't mind the chilly temps we're having so much but honestly without any snow down here on the coast I'm getting impatient for it to warm up a wee bit! (Temps this chilly w/out snow on the ground just seems pointless at this time of year lol!)
We made it to the low 40s today with partial sun. Boy did it feel good!! We're supposed to have a very gradual warm up--but of course rain is perdicted along with it, which is fine with me because it will melt some of the snow.
About 80 degrees here today. This week is all sunshine after last weeks dreariness. Ate some of my peas and carrots today--they were sweet and delicious. Very satisfying. Does anyone know what kind of peas I should plant next year if I want to only eat the peas and not the pods? I planted snow peas and then discovered that they're mostly used for stir frying. Of course the peas are still good, they're just small. I'm really surprised that the carrots are not mature yet, I planted them in December. But maybe because I planted so late and the days were so short it's taking longer for them to mature? That's OK, I'm patient. :)
Terri: I suggest using Garden Peas -- there are quite a few varieties. Just make sure it says "garden peas" on the package. Maybe you can plant an early bird variety so it takes a shorter time to mature.
My first crocus bloomed this morning!!! (My first at this property that is). Such a pretty purple! Our wind died down today for a couple/few hours this morning and despite some clouds, it was warm enough for me to be out in the back yard with the kitties and not be bundled up in layers. It was nice until the wind picked up then it started turning chilly again. Now it's turned raw and windy; rain, sleet & snow are headed our way for tomorrow and Friday. Bah.
Oooo, crocuses. They're so beautiful and one of the first flowers to pop up here in January. Makes me want to go to the nursery, especially with the 82 degree weather outside. Hmmm....how many more pots can I cram onto the cement patio?
Cram away Terri! Lol I can't wait for yard sales & thrift shop trips, I want to find some old wheel barrels, old metal tubs, etc - not an actual bath tub lol! - to hide my ho-hum containers and give the gardens a little shabby chic/country pick-me-up this year! Can't wait!I've a feeling the squirrels absconded with most of the crocus bulbs despite my effort so this coming Fall I'll plants twice as many to see what comes up next Spring!
You can protect crocuses, and other small leaved bulbs with hardware cloth, just lay it on top, cover slightly with soil, then mulch. Doesn't work with irises since the leaves are bigger than the holes.I have a double wash tub that I just love, and my Grandfather's old wheelbarrow, as well as a cast iron pot that is about three feet across (and HEAVY!). Old baskets work too, although they don't last more than a few years. I have an old picnic basket that is almost done for. I have also put little pots in the pockets and top of my grandfather's golf bag, but they dry out too fast. So I put fake flowers in it, and put it in the back where no one can tell they are fake! A good friend has the solid wood (head AND handle) "wood" club on his wall, along with an old fishing bag with the only fly I ever tied!
Jo, have you ever tried feeding the squirrels so they don't dig up your bulbs? I have lots of squirrels, but not the problems you have. It may also be voles (mice) that are tunneling under the soil and eating the bulbs. There are cats in my neighborhood, so I don't have a huge problem with voles, but have found some tunnels. Interestingly, quack grass tends to follow the tunnels- I discovered that when cleaning out a very neglected bed for an old lady! Path of less resistance...
If voles are a problem, you can enclose bulbs in a basket of hardware cloth, with the top open. Then they are less likely to get to them, since they aren't usually smart enough to tunnel up and over!
I normally use a combo of cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes liberally sprinkled over the soil where I plant bulbs and seeds which I replenish when it rains heavily or the red pepper flakes fade and lose their color. Works extremely well. It could also be that the bulbs were just 'bad' which is why I haven't seen any more than that one lone crocus. There are no tunnel tracks in that area so voles aren't a likely culprit. I put out seed for the birds in a 'squirrel proof' feeder though they do eat what falls beneath it from the birds. Feeding squirrels here has only lead to massive damage to the apartment buildings themselves (deck damage, screen door and window screen damage, exhaust fan damage, attic vents damage, inside attic damage, patio door damage & once in around the doors interior damage (between floors and in actual apartments) and so on) so we and the management do not allow it here. (Not that some tenants comply; then they wonder why the squirrels are chewing up their decks, screens, exhaust fans and so on - makes me shake my head).
Wow Jo, the squirrels in Iowa are much less destructive! But then, there are still lots of natural sites to nest in, and a lot more food available, since the fields are not very far away!I just discovered that iris reticulata spread by seed! I found one on the far side of the yard, far from the others! Could only be seed!
I use a number of items from my parents' farm for containers and decoration in my yard and have also added stuff I've found at garage sales etc. I love having oddball stuff tucked into my flower beds and garden.Mid April a couple friends and I are attending a class on growing plants in straw. I've read about it and am curious if I could use this method to grow the things my garden is now too shady for. I've heard potatoes do especially well but am interested if it will work for tomatoes, peppers, squash, basil, etc.
Hey Miriam: I "inheritied" several old cast iron cookware from my MIL. I'm keeping most of it to cook in, but there is one particular pot with lid which she warned me my FIL soaked car parts in it--she wasn't very happy with him! So I had asked her about planting something in it, but she said it would rust. Have you had that problem?
We're starting off whith chilly temps & rain here on the coast and cold temps & snow @ our place in northwest NJ! (Where Spring hasn't visably begun to sprung yet despite Spring Peepers being out at night already). My forsythia bush is blooming and others right around here are starting to. I saw a row of daffodils in full bloom up the street which was a surprise (as was the forsythia bush in full bloom up the road in the cold of February!). Lots of stuff peaking through the soil. More rain and snow coming on Wednesday!